Distinguishing Continuous and Discrete Random Variables

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 Random variables are classified as either discrete or continuous.

A discrete random variable is a random variable whose set of all possible values are countable or
infinitely countable. It can be represented as separate points on a number line.

The following are examples of discrete random variables:

 the number of correct answers in a 5-item true or false quiz

 the number of siblings of your classmates
 the number of people in each country

A continuous random variable is a random variable whose set of all possible values are not
countable or infinite. It can be represented as an interval.

The following are examples of continuous random variables:

 the height of each student in a class

 the weight of each plane baggage
 the waiting time before a person gets a taxi in a taxi stand

Consider the place where you are right now, be it a classroom, living room, or a library. Can you name one discrete
random variable and one continuous random variable related to the things that you can see? How do you get the
values of those random variables

Determine whether the following variables is discrete or continuous.

1. number of leaves of a 10-week old plant

2. amount of time rendered in using social media applications
3. temperature of air in different times of the day
4. rating of an employee in a 10-point scale
5. number of coins in a piggy bank

It is a discrete variable because the number of leaves can only be represented by a whole
number.

It is a continuous variable because the amount of time can be any value within a certain range.
Thus, its possibilities cannot be counted.

It is a continuous variable because air temperature can be any value within a range. Thus, it
cannot be represented by a whole number alone.

It is a discrete variable because the rating can be just the whole numbers from 1 to 10.

It is a discrete variable because the number of coins are countable. Hence, it will be
represented by a whole number.

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 Random Variables and Probability Distribution

 In conducting an experiment, each possible result is called an outcome and listing all of the
possible results make up the sample space.
 There are two types of random variables, discrete and continuous. Discrete random variables
assume a countable number (integer) of values while continuous random variables assume an
uncountable one (arises from measurement).

Examples:

Discrete Random Variable

 A die is rolled and the score shown on the top face is observed. The random variable x is the
score shown. x could take on the values from 1 to 6, which are the numbers that the die
shows.

Continuous Random Variable

 Let the lifetime of a cell phone battery be a random variable. If measured perfectly with
decimals and no rounding off, the random variable can take on different values.

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 Try it!
In an experiment, a five-sided die has been modified to appear one side with one dot, two sides with two dots, and
two sides with three dots. Let the random variable x be the number of dots seen when this die is rolled once.
Express the probabilities of x in a probability distribution and verify the properties.

Key Points
 Discrete random variables assume countable number of values or integer values. Examples
are number of male students in a classroom and number of cellphones owned.
 Continuous random variables assume uncountable number of values. Examples are body
temperature, life span, and distance.
 Probability distributions are used to represent the probabilities of random variables in a
population

Constructing Probability Mass Function and Computing for the Probability of a Random Variable

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